Winnipeg...Winnipeg...Winnipeg...

The hometown syndrome is something that hits everyone at sometime in his or her life. At some point, one can only look at where they grew up with complete disdain. This is, to some degree, the overall sentiment of Guy Maddin’s recent feature My Winnipeg. This pseudo-documentary is, believe it or not, probably Maddin’s weirdest film. Winnipeg creates an awkward relation between its subject matter, the history of the Manitoban capital and Maddin's family life, and its presentation, neo-expressionism to the extreme. However, with Maddin’s stranger-than-fiction stories, it all fits seamlessly, even when the stories are questionable in their validity.

We begin on a train, Maddin’s means of escaping his “sleepy” hometown of Winnipeg. Everyone on this train hasn’t a clue of what’s going on except that they must leave and break this sleep spell that’s been cursed upon them since they entered the Canadian city. As the train flies by the sights of Winnipeg, Maddin begins his journey into its history and his familial situation. To present his family’s story, Maddin decides to cast actors to play his sister and two brothers, but in a strange twist, cast Ann Savage to play his mother while saying his mother is played by his actual mother. The father? Well, due to Mr. Maddin’s early death, Guy Maddin decided not to cast an actor to play his father, but instead put a dummy on set under the living room carpet just as a reminder.

Winnipeg’s family plot serves for some great entertainment, especially the moments that involve Maddin’s “mother”. Maddin does not present his mother under a very good light, but because of this, the film’s overall despairing attitude is multiplied significantly by the mother’s frigidness. Every scene involving the Maddin family has the mother character acting ridiculously. From the scene where the mother accuses her daughter of having sex in the family car to her obsession with the house’s upkeep, the mother character is hilariously nerve-wracking. Though some of the incidents involving the Savage character may be true, the mother character’s purpose is not so much for comic relief as much as she is used to personify Maddin’s view of his hometown. You can’t choose your mother and no matter how much you may grow to despise her, you must realize her significance in your development. This much can definitely be said about the place where you were raised.

Though the family story offers many laughs and puts lots of perspective on how the family unit is much like your hometown, it’s Maddin’s stories of Winnipeg that will grab your attention. The film’s portrayal of the city is, aesthetically, unflattering. Maddin’s style amongst all his films is very expressionistic, linking back to the German cinema of the 20s and 30s, as well as silent Hollywood cinema. Maddin’s stylistic choice truly leaves a viewer cold and, therefore, leaves a very bad impression upon us when it comes to our sentiment towards Winnipeg. Though this is definitely Maddin’s goal, he also wants to show how the city has a rich history he’s proud of. However, recent events have led Maddin to create a sort of love/hate relationship with Winnipeg. Though Maddin doesn’t present any stereotypically happy stories about his hometown, he definitely wants to emphasize its fantastically strange history. The most beautiful scene in Winnipeg involves Maddin’s retelling of the infamous séances that were once held by a previous Winnipeggan mayor. Several of the city’s elite sit at a circular table, holding hands and chanting, following a séance master. As a higher level of conscience is reached, a ballet begins. The flowing movement of the dancers mixed with Maddin’s spastic style creates this beautifully eerie scene that is absolutely stunning and though you’re not left with a cheery view of Winnipeg, you’re absolutely fascinated and much of this is greatly attributed to Maddin’s film style.

Maddin’s style amazes me. His success at recreating the style associated to the old silent and expressionistic days of film is astounding. Maddin has pinpointed every stylistic facet of these old film ages and has used them to his liking with incredible precision to detail, while still adding his own personal touch. Though Maddin’s choice of direction, camera movement and use of intertitles are all incredibly significant to Winnipeg’s style, credit must be given to the film’s editor and long time Maddin collaborator, John Gurdebeke. If it’s any film language that truly creates the aesthetic experience of Winnipeg, it’s the editing. Watching Winnipeg, it’s easy to see just how many cuts there are in any one scene and this is what creates the aesthetic experience Maddin is so known for. Several cuts within half a minute, fades and irises that scream 20s and, most of all, the superimpositions, are the few things that Gurdebeke does to translate the emotions of Winnipeg and to ultimately make this film as enjoyable as it is, both technically and emotionally.

My Winnipeg is entirely original. Like all of Maddin’s films, the style is bold and resonating with otherwordly beauty. The overall concept of the film is mysterious and enjoyable, though it’s incredibly questionable. The stories, whether true or not, will grab the attention of any spectator and leave you to automatically peruse every source possible just to discover whether or not these stories hold water. And if they don’t, it doesn’t matter because it simply proves Maddin’s ingeniousness when it comes to making the absurd completely believable through his convincing and trusting narration. The hometown syndrome is translated so effectively into this film that you will be forced to put your childhood home in perspective again, whether you like it or not.

The Sound Of Language

Eran Kolirin's The Band's Visit demands nothing from its audience except simple patience. It is a film that takes it's time in trying to show us the incredibly intricate relationships these men and women form in such a short amount of time, and all due to chance or, perhaps, miracles. Band's Visit is perfect in its minimalist aesthetics and justifiably so. The film presents an interesting concept and full characters that shouldn't be overshadowed by film trickery. The story suffices enough to grab even the most formalistic viewer's attention.

Egypt's Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrive in Israel to play at an Arab cultural center, but end up stuck in an Israeli small town. After failed attempts to contact their embassy and with not enough money to rent hotel rooms for the eight piece, they are forced to ask a favour from a local restaurant owner, Dina. Dina invites the strict band leader, Lt. Col. Tawfiq, and his least favorite band member, Haled, to her apartment. The others get situated in Dina's restaurant and in the apartment of one of Dina's friends. The band members are shown in their new environments as the evening progresses, usually resulting in awkward moments involving communication (the band mates can only speak English with their hosts), under-the-surface racial tension, as well as moments of love, compassion and revelations.

The one thing that surprises me the most with this film is how it completely stays off the topic of racism. Kolirin is incredibly successful at creating a story where, what seems to be the obvious conflict of racism, becomes meaningless. However, this factor must be considered in retrospect because it truly makes the film all the more enjoyable because it is not until after the film that you realize you weren't bombarded with racial tension, but with forceful human emotion. The quasi-love story between Dina and Tawfiq is one of the best love stories I've seen put to film. A grand statement, yes, but no other film has put in so much thought and so much emotion in a relationship that only lasts for less than 12 hours.

Love, lust, betrayal and joy are all intermingled within this plot and each one is given it's allotted amount of screen time needed to insure the audience a chance to recognize each one to their full effect. It's probably the film's ending that will cause the most awe in a viewer. An amazing evening of romance and lessons has just passed with seemingly no impact on the character's, but, if you look closer and think, you can tell that this special and unusual evening left every band mate with some kind of personal revelation towards their music and towards their lives.

Though the Egyptian musicians are the main focus in Band's Visit, the film's other characters are equally as important and developed. Band's Visit explores the rough and adventurous lives of teenagers in a scene at a roller disco where an Israeli adolescent must step up and defeat his shyness in order to pursue a relationship with a woman. This scene is incredibly touching, with a tinge of Napoleon Dynamite-esque humour to it and leaves one with a wonderful "gee, shucks" feeling. Another scene where an Israeli becomes the center of attention is during a scene where an Israeli father explains to a band member the serenity he finds when he's in his son's nursery. The Israeli explains to the band member that it's this, this quietness and peace, that inspires him and should inspire the band member to finish his music arrangement. This scene comes after a very rough dinner with the Israeli's family and the visiting band members. As a result, the Israeli father confides in the band's second in charge, Simon, and describes to him how the nursery has become a sort of sanctuary where he hides with his sleeping son, in harmony and with a sort of reassurance that life will always have its ups, even when its downs seem more prevalent.

There really isn't much that can be said about Band's Visit except that it's a film built on raw human emotion and everyday miracles. Band's Visit is direct and delivers a grand emotional punch that can't really be explained through criticism. It's a slow-burner that leaves you with a great smile and a lump in the throat that you'll dwell upon several minutes after its gut-wrenching and, for lack of a better term, confusing yet beautiful ending. Band's Visit is completely original and incredibly successful in achieving its goal of introducing a possibly explosive situation and dismantling it into a fantasticly simple human tale.

WALL-E: a space odyssey

Who would have thought that one of the most scathing criticisms of today's society would come from a Disney Pixar production? However, WALL-E isn't simply brutally honest about how today's large-scale decisions can effect our future, but it's also a fascinating piece of art that uses state-of-the-art animation technology, presents a fascinating twist on animated film story archetypes and setting and is simply a fun film with lots of adventure, mystery and comedy.

The world has become a dump and WALL-E, a robotic trash compacter, must clean it up. WALL-E spends his days rummaging through the world's garbage, compacting the garbage into cubes that are stacked upon each other, creating large architectural structures. However, once in a while, WALL-E finds an object that peeks its interest and keeps it. We soon learn that the humans that left behind the mess are up in space on an intergalactic cruise liner, supposedly waiting for the Earth to be inhabitable once again. As WALL-E is performing its daily chores, a space ship lands upon the barren dump yard and unleashes a robot. WALL-E tries to befriend the new robot, but is quickly ignored because it seems to be on a dogged search for something. During a sand storm, WALL-E gains the trust of the robot by sharing its shelter with the robot, named Eve. WALL-E gives Eve a tour of the shelter and presents a plant sustaining in a boot to Eve. Eve goes into auto-pilot and grabs the plant from WALL-E and stores it within itself then goes into shutdown mode. After several days, a ship returns to Earth to retrieve the robot. WALL-E has become attached to Eve and decides to hitch a ride, which ends up at the galactic cruise-liner where the humans are harbored. At the ship, Eve delivers the plant which comes as a surprise to the captain. Soon, a conspiracy unfolds involving the ship's computer which has orders to not return home, no matter what. WALL-E's plot is thought provoking, incredibly fun and filled with twists and turns without ever feeling exaggerated. However, it's WALL-E's first half that really peaked my interest due to its originality and overwhelming realism.

WALL-E defies many conventions of Hollywood animation. Pixar is well known for presenting films involving the relationship between reality and fantasy; talking toys in Toy Story being sabotaged by human intervention, Finding Nemo with talking fish trying to weather against the harshness of the sea and, again, human intervention in their sea world, etc. However, WALL-E, in the beginning mind you, does not use a fantastic setting, but a setting with real people on billboards and advertisements, scary environmental conditions and silence. Basically, WALL-E presents our world if a robot was the only mobile thing on it.

As you've probably heard already, WALL-E's first half plays out like a silent film, but one difference is the subtlety and scarcity of its physical comedy. Yes, there are several moments where WALL-E finds itself in a hilarious and cute situation that results in slapstick, especially during scenes where it has found an object that sparks its interest, but it's WALL-E's expressions that really captures the audience. The slight move of its camera eyes, the tilt of its head, etc. These subtleties are the moments that can be attributed to the silent greats like Chaplin, Keaton and Gish, but at the same time, presenting something original and fun.

Though there are several aspects of WALL-E that stand out, the film's absolutely breath-taking animation overshadows many of these. Not much can be said about it, you must see it for yourself. Every detail, from the dust rolling off WALL-E's tracks to the landscape, is created with incredible precision. Nothing has been produced yet in animation that has impressed me as much as this film. I could go into detail about the technology used in order to create this mesmerizing visual spectacle, but who cares. The product and its awe factor are beyond those technicalities.

WALL-E will impress anyone. It's an amalgamation of things many people want to see in their films today; adventure, comedy, social-conscience and originality. WALL-E is incredibly impressive in how it covers and offers incite into the many aspects of entertainment and filmmaking. It is immensely pleasing to the aesthetics and could be viewed several times without any chance of boredom. Pixar have, thus far, created their best film and one of their best characters with WALL-E. I haven't a clue and am incredibly interested in what Pixar, possibly the most prolific and significant film production company today, can come up with next.

There Was Once A Blue Bandit...

Tarsem's The Fall captures your eye from the beginning. It's been a long time since I've seen a film like The Fall where every shot is constructed with such amazing beauty and excitement. From The Fall's opening scene, shot in slow motion black and white, to a surgery scene involving stop-motion animation, to scenes shot with incredible colour, sets and costumes, The Fall never stops exploring the power of the image.

The Fall follows a very 'Wizard of Oz' plot structure where there's the 'real' and the 'fantasy' and actors cross over these two stories. The 'real' is set in a California hospital where a young Indian girl and a Hollywood stunt actor encounter one another. The stuntman, Roy (Lee Pace) begins to tell the little girl, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), an extraordinary tale about five men trying to gain revenge on a man who did them wrong, Governor Odious (Daniel Caltagirone). As Roy continues his story, he begins to ask Alexandria to do favors for him before he continues his tale. These tasks involve Alexandria to go and steal morphine for Roy who, we soon realize, wishes to commit suicide. As the story continues, it begins to mirror Roy's story of how he became suicidal and his motivation for befriending the little girl.

The 'real' story and its relation with the 'fantasy' grows impressively intricate. The entire 'fantasy' story is shown through the imagination of Alexandria and how she sees the story and images told to her by Roy. As the two stories progress, connecting the two's images and characters becomes a real delight. The celebrity at the California hospital who stole Roy's love interest is the same actor who plays Governor Odious and the suit worn by the x-ray operator at the hospital is the same suit of armor worn by Odious' army. The story impressively holds its weight when compared to the images. Though this is very much a visual spectacle, the story is what pulls one in. But it's not only the intricacies of the story that truly impressed me, but also the realism included when dealing with the insecurities of the storyteller when it comes to telling a story to a child. Several times in the film, the 'fantasy' plot is interrupted by Alexandria who asks broad and simple questions expected from a child, like "Why?" and so forth. 

 However, the images are by far the most impressive part of The Fall. The sets and settings are immense, the colours are vibrant and imaginative in their presentation, the costumes are ingenious and the few instances of choreography are absolutely jaw dropping. Several shots jump to my mind when discussing these characteristics. A scene involving a funeral in the middle of a mountainous dessert is shot beautifully in wide, immense shots showing the blood of the fallen climbing up wall of white fabric. This explanation gives it no justice. The picture provided above shows a scene involving the resurrection of the Mystic. This scene is probably the scene that stood out the most for me. The sweeping cameras over the incredibly choreographed native dance makes one feel as if you are amongst the spirits the witch doctor is trying to summon. Again, a scene completely indescribable. 

The Fall is a film that one could watch over and over again and still be amazed by the epic scenery. Every shot is near perfection when considering both itself and its relation amongst the rest of the film. There isn't a single cinematic detail that I can think of where The Fall didn't execute it with precision and imagination. I can safely say that this was one of the most exciting films this year had to offer. The Fall presented a world and a story that causes one to regress into childhood and reminds us of the significance we used to put upon our simple imagination when younger.  

15 Minutes For Everyone

Synecdoche - a figure of speech in which a part is made to present the whole or vice versa, as in England lost in six wickets (meaning `the English cricket team`)

-Oxford English Dictionary

Could Charlie Kaufman's use of this word and its definition have anything to do with the interpretation of his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York? It could, but it probably doesn't, so let's not worry ourselves too much about the word and its meaning, but about the film and its purpose. Synecdoche is a film deeply dependent on the emotions of the characters and less so on the film's narrative. Kaufman ignores an eventful plot and instead tries to focus more on the emotional reactions of his character's and where these emotions lead them. these emotions are incredibly universal and Kaufman focuses on things that cause anyone to feel and sense of emotion. the motions are almost palpable due to Kaufman's use of certain motifs. To create a film of such emotional strength, Kaufman manipulates our sense of time and puts great emphasis on death and human relationships and their importance in our lives, all while keeping a consistently comical atmosphere. Overall, this film is a film solely based on levels of human emotions and therefore cannot be properly described through criticism, but how does Kaufman make Synecdoche one of the most emotional, original and one of the best experiences I've had this year at the cinema?

To be blunt, plot is of no interest to me when discussing this film. However, I'll provide a short synopsis of the film's general narrative. Caden Cotard, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, is a somewhat successful playwright. Caden, after a weird accident involving a sink, soon becomes a hypochondriac and begins to become obsessed with death. The symptoms seem to increase for Caden when his wife, Adele (Catherine Keener), leaves with their daughter, Olive (Sadie Goldstein). Caden is then shockingly awarded the MacArthur genius grant and begins a stage production that will explore life and the 'real' to their full extent. The production soon takes on humongous proportions as Caden becomes increasingly obsessed with the project.

Kaufman really makes a strong effort in manipulating Caden's and, in doing so, the audience's sense of time. time seems to slip by incredibly fast in this film causing anxiety and feeling of lost time and opportunity. Kaufman really emphasises time in the opening scene, which proves the significance of time in Kaufman's film. The first shot of the film is of an alarm clock buzzing and saying 7:45. Soon Caden begins to read a newspaper at the breakfast table and begins to read the obituary column, announcing every famous death to his wife. We then get a glimpse of the newspaper saying November 5, 2005. Kaufman makes sure that we know what time the film is set in so that we have a sort of reference point. After breakfast, Caden is hit in the head with a faucet tap that explodes off the sink while he's brushing his teeth. This can be regarded as the ignition point of the film because it's from this point onwards that Caden's senses, including his sense of time, begin to fade and the film's structure begins to get just as disorientating as Caden's view of the world. An early example of time being manipulated to create this disorientating feeling is when Caden visits an ophthalmologist who was recommended by the doctor in the emergency room when Caden received stitches for his forehead after the faucet incident. The scene involving the eye specialist is shown a few scenes after the emergency visit. We can see in the background a calender saying March 2006, meaning six months have passed since the accident. Also, Caden makes a weird comment during his appointment, thanking the doctor for allowing him to come at such short notice. Due to the little amount of time that has passed and Caden's comment, disorientation sets in, creating, for myself, a very anxious feeling. The exploration of the relationship between the characters and the time factor truly amplifies the emotions of the film because time is truly the driving force behind many of the character's decision in the film, whether they be good or bad.

It's Kaufman's exploration of human relations and death that offer Synecdoche's most sorrowful and hilarious moments. There are several moments where death and comedy are mixed together. one outstanding moment is when Hazel (Samantha Morton) decides to buy a burning house. Hazel enters the house and a real estate agent is giving her the pitch. Though Hazel has always dreamed of owning and this one was perfect for such a cheap price, due to the fire, she still worried about the fire and it possibly having an effect on how she dies. Hazel still buys the house which we see when she invites Caden over. The metaphor to be found in Hazel's burning house can vary, but one thing is for sure, it's absolutely ridiculous and hilarious. Human relationship are also often looked at in a very comedic manner while always recognizing its seriousness and negative effect it could have on a the character. In one scene, Caden discovers where his ex-wife is living. In hope of finding Adele and his daughter, Caden tracks down the apartment and is met by an old man an woman waiting by Adele's apartment door. They ask whether or not Caden was the cleaning lady. Caden replies yes and the old woman explains that Adele left the key for the cleaning lady. Caden takes the key and goes inside. After reveling in the environment of the woman he still loves, Caden begins to clean Adele's apartment with incredibly vigour. After his night of maidenly work, Caden continues to return to the apartment, both cleaning and trying to grasp on to something that could fulfill his need for Adele, while acting as Adele's cleaning lady.

Synecdoche is truly a film that must be experience first-hand. the emotions flowing through you as you watch the film are memorable. It's quite hard to forget your experience with this film. It truly latches on to you and never let's go. the techniques and imagery used by Kaufman in this film are mesmerizing and thought provoking. Kaufman wanted to create a piece of work that would influence conversation and he certainly succeeded because Synecdoche presents a story and several situations that aren't incredibly different from many people's lives.

The Story of Armin Meiwes and Bernd Jurgen Brandes

Directed by Marian Dora, Cannibal (2005) was the inspiration for me to begin a blog. This inspiration is very much different than what one would expect. I guess it didn't so much inspire me as much as it gave me this feeling of immediacy, a feeling that the film should be acknowledged and written about. I couldn't watch the film in its entirety without covering my eyes and taking a walk away from it for a moment. Cannibal is the most repugnant and disgusting film I've yet to see and I'm quite experienced with films of intense and morbid nature. I've seen films like Cannibal Holocaust, which shocked my friends but left me quite surprised at their reaction since I was relatively unscathed, Passolini's Salo: 120 Days of Sodom, which impressed me with its artistry that its content could be easily ignored, and Gaspar Noé's Irreversible, which is also incredibly artistic, but the first half hour is definitely a good time not to eat or to have just eaten. However, these three films, among many others considered unconventionally violent and morbid, had not effected me as much as Cannibal.

Cannibal is based upon the incredible story of two German men who met online; one who's desire is to eat a man with certain physical qualities and another who wishes to be eaten. The real men are named Armin Meiwes, the man who desires to eat, and Bernd Jurgen Brandes, the man who wishes to be eaten. However, in this film, Meiwes is titled as the Human, played by Carsten Frank and Brandes is titled as the Flesh, played by Victor Brandl. When these two men meet, they fully express their desires. The camera seems to have a fixation on the mouths, hands and genitals of the two men. As the Flesh explains his desire, he does so with a saliva drenched lisp and the camera focuses on his mouth's movements and moisture. Before any violent act takes place, the two men create an incredible relationship, shown in a very off-beat and oddly disturbing montage. At one moment, the men are playing Bocce ball naked on a beautiful day, another moment, the two are having passionate and violent sex. But, soon enough, the two must delve into their desires and act upon them. However, the Human shows some hesitance and the Flesh decides to return home. However, at the train station, the Human convinces the Flesh to come back and both men's desires are fulfilled in some of the most elongated scenes of violence I have experienced.

The film tries, and succeeds, in capturing an air of transcendence by employing certain tactics. As previously mentioned, the two main characters are titled as The Man and The Flesh in its end credits. As well, there's barely any dialogue (which is English). In fact, the first twenty minutes don't include any dialogue at all, but include many scenes involving the Man's interaction with people in a village. Frank does a good job of physically communicating to the camera the emotions of his conversations with others without over exaggerating. The film's setting is also very much discrete. The only indication of Germany is the Man's village, which has architecture which is very much German. But most of the film includes scenes outside, dominated by green, or are inside the Man's house, which is dominated by darkness. This sense of transcendence is one the film's strongest tool in creating a sense of realism and in creating a connection between the film and its viewers.

However, it wasn't the film's subject matter that got to me so much as it was the images and their construction. The film is incredibly digital with pixelation occurring often. This type of image resolution really adds to the film's realism, very much in the same way that grain or black and white on a celluloid film can create realism. There's also a delay between the actor's dialogue and their lip movement. Whether done on purpose or not, this desynchronization really leaves one incredibly uneasy. The editing is also incredibly disjointed. A very disorienting experience is created by the editing which uses jump-cuts and multiple cuts within a single scene. Another aspect that struck me was the film's lighting, or lack off. During scenes of torture, an example being a scene where the Flesh asks the Human to bite off his penis, the room is dimly lit with candles. Another example being a scene during the Human's butchering of the Flesh after his death. The kitchen where the scene is set in is, again, dimly lit with this eerie and cold light shining through the kitchen's windows. Overall, it's the film's jumpy cohesion and convincing realism that creates a very provoking and queasy experience.

Though these examples are important to the film's tone, horror films today must have impressive special effects to take that sense of realism up a notch and as expected, Cannibal does not lack. As I said, I was not able to fully watch certain scenes and these scenes included scenes of convincing effects, one example being a scene involving disembowelment. However, one scene that included repulsively compelling special effects was a scene involving the castration of the Flesh where the camera unflinchingly watches every stroke of the Human's knife. After the castration, the bloody "remains" begin urinating, again without the camera shying away at all. The special effects are indescribable. The film is efficient in making you wonder exactly how they did all this.

Most of the elements used in Cannibal are very popular in horror films today. However, these elements were weaved together better than the majority of its contemporaries and created a disturbing and original experience. Also, unlike most horror films today where realism is created through a sort of nihilism where all hope is gone, Cannibal, in its weird way, embraces life and its weird occurrences. After all, the men, in the end, attain their unusual dream. Cannibal is successful in studying an extraordinary case involving the primitive relationship of "the hunter" and "the hunted" when applied to the complexities of everyday humans.

I warn you, do not think that this review will take the edge off of the film. There's several incredibly disturbing scenes and details that I decided to leave out. SEVERAL!

Weird Fact:

There's a weird choice of actors to play these roles. Victor Brandl, playing the Flesh, looks very much like Brandes, while Carsten Frank who play the Human looks nothing at all like Meiwes. Why was this decision made. My suggestion, everyone has "the hunter" desire in them, only a few have "the hunted" desire in them.